Serie A giants hold transfer valuation belief over Manchester City centre-back

Manchester City would be prepared to take a significant loss on the price paid for Aymeric Laporte back in 2018, Juventus believe as they eye the Spain international.

The 29-year-old has found himself on the fringes of Manchester City’s central defensive options following the most recent season, with manager Pep Guardiola placing his teammates ahead of him in his ranking.

Manuel Akanji has proven to be a reliable option in all areas of Manchester City’s back-four, after signing from Borussia Dortmund last summer, while John Stones has developed into a commanding presence in both defence and midfield.

In an attempt at securing more game-time during the 2023/24 season and beyond, the feeling is that Aymeric Laporte could find himself walking through the exit door this summer, as he continues to weigh up his options.

A new report from Italy has linked Laporte with a move to Serie A, with division giants Juventus the latest in a long list of clubs to be showing an interest in Manchester City’s Spanish international.

That is according to the information of Corriere dello Sport, as translated and relayed by Sport Witness, who state that Aymeric Laporte has become the new man on Maximiliano Allegri’s transfer radar this summer, with the belief being that he would cost around €30 million.

It is further explained that not only does the Juventus manager want the City centre-back, but the new director of football at the club, Cristiano Giuntoli, has him on his ‘list of favourites’ for the role in Turin too.

As such, the Italian newspaper states that there is a feeling that a deal could be struck this summer, but it all depends on the money Juventus have at their disposal in the coming weeks ahead, and most likely the official request from Manchester City’s reserve defensive option.

As for City, they continue to brace themselves for an exit for Aymeric Laporte this summer, as they work on a deal to sign RB Leipzig and Croatia international Josko Gvardiol – who is valued by the Bundesliga side at in excess of €100 million.

While talks have been ongoing and optimism around negotiations, the two clubs have scheduled another round of discussions for the forthcoming week with a view towards finalising an agreement that would work in favour of Gvardiol – who has made clear his intention of making the move to the Etihad Stadium.

Elsewhere, City are also looking to find out the future intentions of Bernardo Silva, with the status of the Portugal international likely to dictate their next steps in the transfer window, having already secured the midfield signing of Mateo Kovacic from Croatia.

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